-Benjamin Okun
Sometimes it’s good to be bad, and such was the case in Saturday’s production of “Bad Auditions by Bad Actors” - the debut performance by MIT S&PC’s new Acting Club. The troupe’s wildly unpredictable antics had an audience of nearly 100 attendees at Killian Hall laughing through the evening, and it was impressive to observe the progress that the cast members, most of them new to acting, have achieved in such a brief period of training together. They demonstrated impressive stage presence and were clearly well-rehearsed, and the international performers enhanced their quirky roles with diverse vocal inflections that added engaging depth to their characterizations.
The humorous material ranged from broad comedy to occasional surrealism, as a group of aspiring community thespians, apparently plagued by a comprehensive range of psychological issues, auditioned for the title roles of a forthcoming production of “Romeo and Juliet”. Xaidé Cáceres Lázaro appeared in the role of a casting director on the verge of a nervous breakdown, whose expressions flowed seamlessly from bemusement to sheer disbelief, tinged with an undertone of panic that was apparently not shared by her lackadaisical assistant Roger, played with irreverent charm (and impressive vocal projection) by Vahid Majidian.
As the director’s anxiety increased and Roger’s attention alternated between snacking options and his affections for an off-stage girlfriend, the casting duo reviewed a series of bizarre auditions by a motley crew of hopeful actors. Aino Laine burst onto the stage in an impressively athletic performance as a pugnacious Romeo apparently beset by anger management issues. The character sported a beard of dubious origin, but with such impressive texture and uniformity of coverage that it combined with the rest of Aino’s gender-bending impersonation to render the actress unrecognizable to many in the audience. After pounding out a set of pushups, completing a running somersault and advocating for a military-based reinterpretation of the play, s/he was followed by several other players whose audition approaches varied in forms of eccentricity, but who shared a similarly loose grasp on sanity. These included María Maza, who demonstrated an admirably flexible warmup process consisting of an elaborate stretching and yoga routine, followed by impressive vocalizations that were received enthusiastically by the audience, but less so by the casting team, and which apparently revealed such fundamental flaws in the acoustics of Killian Hall that the character left the stage in a huff. Shakti Lieten portrayed a candidate who initially seemed more conventional in her approach, though self-consciously uncomfortable on stage. After encouragement from the casting director to act more naturally, she let her hair down and began a process of shedding her inhibitions (and costume) that Roger seemed to support, but which soon threatened to become incompatible with community theater content standards and eventually necessitated her departure from the stage. Jackie E. Phelesteen appeared first delivering an entertainingly addled monologue, and later as a convincingly mercenary agent perpetually on the verge of “walking” while negotiating the unrealistic economic demands and revolting snack preferences of a simpering, bluely-bewigged aspiring starlet, in another appearance by Shakti. Continued amusement came thanks to Nafiseh Jafarzadeh with her effectively controlled portrayal of an actor-turned-automaton who had apparently ceded authority to an enunciation-obsessed acting coach, played with maniacal focus by Lê Nguyên Hoang. Lê also appeared in different guise as an aspiring Romeo with a madness to his method acting, resolutely denying his identity as an actor while expressing strong distaste for Roger’s personal hygiene in mellifluous Elizabethan English. Yun Seonggyeong also filled dual roles, first in a slinkily surreal feline manifestation, and then as a loquacious Korean-speaking performer determined to use Google Translate, complete with entertainingly convincing audio effects, to demonstrate that an unfamiliarity with a script’s original language need not be an insurmountable obstacle.
The insanity culminated in a brief but enthusiastic dance routine performed by the entire cast, before a final twist revealed that the farcical plot elements had been accompanied by suggestions of a deeper message. As various aspiring “bad actors” did their best to target roles for which they were ill-suited, and focused their efforts on artifice, self-promotion or self-indulgence, they had drawn attention away from a potential player who had little in the way of an obvious work ethic, but who was genuinely in touch with the romantic yearning necessary for a compelling portrayal of the tragic play’s leading couple. Ultimately Vahid’s besotted Roger was united onstage with the object of his affections (Aino, restored to her more typical gender), and Xaidé’s delighted casting director, observing the couple’s convincing chemistry, declared an end to her search for Romeo and Juliet.
Flowers and enthusiastic ovations greeted the cast, as well as the mastermind behind the performance, Director Norman Wozniak, who poured countless hours of tireless energy into preparation and coaching to help the team create such an entertaining event. MIT S&PC congratulates the Acting Club on their success in providing an opportunity for members to explore new interests, get in touch with their wacky sides, and develop effective performance skills while contributing to our diverse and enriching community.
